1. Field
The present inventive concept relates to a management server and a method of charging for printing, and more particularly, to a management server and a method of charging for printing, calculating a printing cost based on a number of times that a recording agent, installed in an image forming apparatus, is replaced.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus operates to record print data, generated by a terminal such as a computer, onto a recording medium. The image forming apparatuses include photocopiers, printers, facsimiles or multi-function peripherals (MFP) combining the functions of the above apparatuses.
The business-to-business (B2B) market has rapidly grown recently, in which the suppliers of printer management solutions manage printers for universities, corporate enterprises, or the like. In the B2B market, the suppliers set a charge for printing based on the previously agreed rate for printing one sheet of printing medium or the like, and collect the total amount of printouts within a charging period to calculate the final cost.
One drawback of calculating the printing cost in the manner explained above is that the users are charged for printing irrespective of the amount of toner they use. That is, a user, who prints out one sheet of paper, could be overcharged if his printing uses the toner in an amount less than general reference, while another user, also printing out one sheet of paper, could be undercharged if his printing uses the toner in an amount exceeding the general reference.